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Grady Harp is a Los Angeles based book reviewer, and Amazon’s #7 all-time reviewer
In Celebrity Vinyl Tom Hamling shares a collection of album covers from old long playing 33 1/3 records (remember those?) t
hat are not only nostalgic: this collection of information in the form of record jackets opens secrets of the stars that will surprise many readers.
Handsomely designed by Eliane Lazzaris from photographs of the album covers by photographer Jonah Light and edited by Buzz Poole, this book is a scrapbook of memories brought to life by Hamling’s spare but cogent comments beneath each page’s featured album jacket. Sound simple? The unique aspect of this collection is the fact that the recordings were made years ago by people not remembered for singing!
There are albums of songs by Jerry Lewis, Dick Van Dyke, Lorne Greene, Anthony Quinn, Goldie Hawn, Telly Savalas, Burt Reynolds, Bruce Willis and Eddie Murphy as well as collections of songs as sung by The Brady Bunch, Ethel Merman, Joe Piscopo, John Davidson, a very young John Travolta, David Soul, Marilyn Monroe and many others. The images on these covers are art pieces in themselves, but placing them in context with the out of character stance of stand alone singing makes for a very entertaining read. Tom Hamling makes for sure we find the humor and the nostalgia that viewing these albums creates.
This is a terrific, unique collection of surprises presented in a sophisticated, very entertaining manner. Well worth the attention of a broad audience.
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